Today (Oct. 12), Doja Cat became the latest guest on First We Feast’s “Hot Ones” series, which sees celebrities answering an impressive line of questions while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. As expected, the biggest topic within the clip was the Cali star’s latest album, Scarlet, which was released in September with zero features and production assistance from D.A. Got That Dope, Y2K, London On Da Track, Jay Versace, and more. Host Sean Evans began by asking her about the LP’s title choice.
“It’s something where I don’t care about the meaning being so deep as much as the word being a cool word,” Doja explained. “I like good words. I thought Hellmouth was cool ’cause it meant something. I forgot what it meant. If we Google it… it’s like the gates of hell. But that felt so aggressive to me after a while, and I don’t know if I even like it anymore.”
She continued, “I changed my mind constantly, and Scarlet felt like the right thing to do because it’s kind of an ode to Hot Pink. I did the name of a color, but it’s not really. You think of Scarlet as someone’s first name and not as a color. But that was kind of the twist to it.”
Doja also spoke on the need for animation and innovation within hip hop while naming two of the culture’s biggest frontrunners. “I get very excited when I see rappers who are interested in their visuals in a way where they’re ready to kind of do something new, and twist things, and do something camp. I feel like Busta [Rhymes] was a pioneer,” she stated. “His fashion back in the day was just ridiculously good and cool. I don’t know if he knows. But he’s cool. And I feel like Missy [Elliott] is another big one. Left Eye’s a big one.”
Check out the “Hot Ones” interview below.